Location via proxy:   [ UP ]  
[Report a bug]   [Manage cookies]                
Everand Logo

Welcome to Everand!

  • Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

    From $11.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

    Summit Lake
    Summit Lake
    Summit Lake
    Audiobook8 hours

    Summit Lake

    Written by Charlie Donlea

    Narrated by Shannon McManus

    4/5

    ()

    Switch to ebook

    About this audiobook

    “A gem of a mystery, fast-paced and suspenseful.” --Catherine Coulter, # 1 New York Times bestselling author

    No suspects. No persons of interest. Just a girl who was alive one day and dead the next.

    Some places seem too beautiful to be touched by horror. Summit Lake, nestled in North Carolina’s Blue Ridge Mountains, is that kind of place. But two weeks ago, Becca Eckersley, a first-year law student and daughter of a powerful attorney, was brutally murdered there. Now the town is reeling with grief, and the police are baffled.

    “An exciting debut, with all the right touches, captivating from the first page to the last.” --Steve Berry, New York Times bestselling author

    At first, investigative reporter Kelsey Castle thinks of the assignment as a fluff piece. But the savagery of the crime, and the efforts to keep it quiet, hint at something far more sinister than a random attack by a stranger. As Kelsey digs deeper, despite danger and warnings, she feels a growing connection to the dead girl. And the more she learns about Becca’s friendships, her love life—and her secrets—the more convinced she becomes that walking in Becca’s footsteps could lead her out of her own dark past…

    “A swift, outstanding debut.” --Robert Dugoni, New York Times bestselling author

    “Fans of contemporary suspense will enjoy this brisk read.” --Booklist

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherBrilliance Audio
    Release dateJan 26, 2016
    ISBN9781501299285
    Author

    Charlie Donlea

    Charlie Donlea is the critically acclaimed, USA Today, Indiebound and #1 internationally bestselling author of propulsive, female-driven thrillers including The Girl Who Was Taken, Some Choose Darkness, Twenty Years Later and Those Empty Eyes. Published in nearly 40 countries and translated into more than a dozen languages, his books have sold more than 1.5 million copies in the U.S. alone. Donlea has been praised for his "soaring pace, teasing plot twists" (BookPage) and talent for writing an ending that "makes your jaw drop" (The New York Times Book Review). He was born and raised in Chicago, where he continues to live with his wife and two children. Visit him online at CharlieDonlea.com.

    More audiobooks from Charlie Donlea

    Related to Summit Lake

    Related audiobooks

    Suspense For You

    View More
    View More

    Related podcast episodes

    Related articles

    • UNLIMITED

      Open Short Story Winner Tight Situation

      Apr 4, 2024

      When Carol first wakes up, she thinks it must have been a dream. The ringing phone had been distant, muffled as if the landline device had been buried in a bag of something soft like cotton wool - the packing material stuffed so tightly into its bag

      6 min read

    • UNLIMITED

      Shula And The Sun

      Oct 13, 2017

      Shula And The Sun
      8 min read

    • UNLIMITED

      When Tucker Earned His Soul

      Aug 25, 2018

      When Tucker Earned His Soul
      5 min read

    • UNLIMITED

      O Fortuna, Velut Luna

      Sep 15, 2018

      What is Miss Treece’s trouble, according to a popular notion? The man A has failed to show up. Arousing herself at the restaurant, she fixes her lipstick when her solo supper concludes and takes herself down the stairs situated behind the bar. There,

      3 min read

    • UNLIMITED

      The Education of Mrs. R.

      Sep 6, 2022

      An adolescent shriek woke her. Cockerels, she thought, cockerels, with a wry twist to the word. She lay in the dark listening. There was no use in covering her head; the screaming still came through. The soloist was suddenly submerged in the chorus.

      13 min read

    • UNLIMITED

      Not My Cat

      Aug 21, 2023

      The rise and fall of fur, sunlight rippling across his perfectly groomed coat – it’s enchanting, hard to look away. For 30 minutes, she’s watched the cat sleeping on three blankets, folded and piled on top of one another. She’s cold, but can’t bring

      6 min read

    • UNLIMITED

      Summer Beach Reads

      Jan 10, 2021

      Summer Beach Reads
      7 min read

    • UNLIMITED

      Stolen THREADS

      Sep 4, 2024

      Stolen THREADS
      9 min read

    • UNLIMITED

      Let’s Play Dead

      Mar 3, 2020

      There was a man, let’s call him Henry VIII. There was his wife, let’s call her Anne B. Let’s give them a castle and make it nice. Let’s give her many boy babies but make them dead. Let’s give him a fussy way of being. Let’s make her smart and sneaky,

      17 min read

    • UNLIMITED

      A New Beginning

      Mar 25, 2022

      A New Beginning
      5 min read

    • UNLIMITED

      Shruti Swamy

      Jun 15, 2018

      Not the scent of the smoke, but the sight of it, not the sight itself, but the screen through which it altered the sunlight—she couldn’t articulate the change exactly, it’s just that the light seemed odd, like the acidic light of a nightmare. She had

      13 min read

    • UNLIMITED

      Alice in the Delta & Other Poems

      Sep 1, 2024

      Now the muscle can uncoverthe shoulderthe field can come inthe bright green grass as an act of repairThe plaster so tiredso gladto stop holdingeverything upAfter years she scrapeda rectangle on one walldown to white by the lightsocket before she tore

      4 min read

    • UNLIMITED

      The Bathroom

      Jun 10, 2024

      Content Disclosure: Sexual Innuendo The garage light flips on like a flashbulb, freezing me in a mug shot. “Del, you out here?” my wife says sleepily as she steps down the cement riser. She looks at me standing before the window; then her attention i

      12 min read

    • UNLIMITED

      Rediscover THIS DAY

      Apr 1, 2021

      Rediscover THIS DAY
      4 min read

    • UNLIMITED

      Meet the Writer

      May 27, 2023

      Meet the Writer
      4 min read

    • UNLIMITED

      Heatstroke

      Jun 8, 2020

      Languid. The word that formed in Rachel’s mind was languid. The figure on the lawn was languid. Its limbs were loose, its joints fluid. Its hands and feet seemed too heavy for the bones that held them. It was draped over the sun lounger, dripping fro

      5 min read

    • UNLIMITED

      Lost Children

      Aug 4, 2022

      Lost Children
      5 min read

    • UNLIMITED

      Night-time FRIGHT

      Oct 30, 2024

      Night-time FRIGHT
      6 min read

    • UNLIMITED

      Empty NEST

      Oct 2, 2024

      Empty NEST
      6 min read

    • UNLIMITED

      Penny

      Jul 2, 2020

      Penny
      6 min read

    • UNLIMITED

      Announcing the Winners Of Our 100-WORD CONTEST

      Jul 17, 2021

      Eager to try your hand at the 100-word genre? Submit your best work – fiction or nonfiction – in just 100 words in our second annual 100-Word Contest, returning this fall. Bookmark writermag.com/contests for more information. BY ALICIA LUNA Today, I

      5 min read

    • UNLIMITED

      The Pain Jar

      Dec 3, 2020

      The Pain Jar
      7 min read

    • UNLIMITED

      Intelligent Creatures

      Jul 6, 2023

      Intelligent Creatures
      19 min read

    • UNLIMITED

      Jax

      Sep 5, 2024

      Jax
      6 min read

    • UNLIMITED

      Partners

      Sep 15, 2018

      Enter,” she says, and is obeyed. He’s taller than before, or perhaps he only seems taller now that he’s here, in the house. She walks behind him, moving toward the living room, and wonders if he might be too tall for her house. It soon dawns on her t

      8 min read

    • UNLIMITED

      Keys and TREES

      Mar 31, 2021

      Keys and TREES
      3 min read

    • UNLIMITED

      Announcing The winners Of Our FLASH CONTEST

      Feb 29, 2020

      I sever the first two fingers of my left hand on a Tuesday. They fall to the ground at my feet, causing a momentary confusion as I wonder what tree has dropped this odd fruit. Then I see the crescent scar left behind by a fish hook and know that thes

      8 min read

    Related categories

    Reviews for Summit Lake

    4/5

    244 ratings23 reviews

    What our readers think

    Readers find this title to be an enjoyable mystery with good characters and a decent plot. The story has great twists and turns that keep readers guessing. However, some readers felt that certain storylines were not wrapped up and did not like the way the author wrote about sexual assault. Overall, this book has potential but falls short in some areas.

    What did you think?

    Tap to rate

    Review must be at least 10 words

    • 4/5
      Really great work, including characters, storylines and decent voice acting as well. Throughly enjoyed it and once started I couldn’t stop listening. One of those books with twists you don’t expect at all. Loved it
    • 5/5
      Love, love, love Charlie Donlea!!! I've stumbled upon several of his novels over the years & I've never been disappointed. Just finished listening to Summit Lake, not realizing at first that I've read the physical book ?‍♀️ It clicked pretty quick, & I remembered really liking it, so I decided to continue to listen. The audiobook did not disappoint.
    • 3/5
      ⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

      Did I like the story? Yes. Investigative reporter Kelsey Castle is sent to North Carolina to do a story on a murder. The murder of first year law student Becca Eckersley. But all is not what it seems, information is being hidden, buy why? As I said, I liked the story, I liked the ending. However, I just felt like Kelsey walked in and said,'I want these files that are under lock and key.' And there was no fight about it just like here ya go. Everyone befriended her within 2 minutes of meeting her. Oh, you're here about the murder? Where friends now!
    • 4/5
      Great twists and turns! Kept me guessing when I thought for sure I knew the Whodunnit
    • 4/5
      Good plot will read another one from this author again
    • 5/5
      This was an excellent read! Couldn’t put it down! I highflying recommended this author!
    • 4/5
      A very interesting mystery good characters well defined all together enjoyable
    • 4/5
      Wow…what a story! I withheld a star because I felt like we didn’t get closure on the reason why the murder was pushed under the rug.
    • 5/5
      Great story & interesting characters. Another good read by Donlea.
    • 2/5
      This book had so much potential. But things didn’t quite come together. Certain storylines weren’t quite wrapped up. But moreover, I did not like the way this author wrote about the experience of sexual assault. I think it would be difficult for a man to ever be able to write about this content with any sense of depth or authenticity. But in this case it was just unnecessary. The story could have been told without that plot line and it would have been a better, more believable story.
    • 2/5
      Annoying narrator. She is trying to emulate college students but sounds preteen.

      1 person found this helpful

    • 3/5
      The sophomoric narration took away from the story. After plodding through the first half, I was finally committed to a couple of the characters. Decent plot line the last third.

      1 person found this helpful

    • 5/5
      This engaging thriller was an enjoyable listen/read. It alternates the story of murdered first-year law student Becca Eckersley with that of journalist Kelsey Castle.Kelsey has been sent to Summit Lake by her editor more for a vacation and time get over her rape than to find out who murdered Becca. She arrives to find the case taken out of the local police's hands and given to State investigators. She also finds that things that should be public, like the autopsy, are being carefully kept from the public. Her curiosity is aroused and aroused even more when she learns that Becca too was raped before being murdered. The story begins from Becca's point-of-view on the night of her death. Then the chapters alternate between Kelsey and Becca with Becca's having ominous titles like "Fourteen months before her death." As we hear Becca's story, we meet a young college student and her three best friends. Gail, Brad and Jack and see that changing relationships among them. Becca comes across as a nice young woman who somehow lacks awareness of her effect on some of the men around her. She's still being harassed by her high school boyfriend who doesn't want to believe their relationship is over. She has a sort-of inappropriate friendship with one of her professors. Brad is falling in love with her whereas she sees him only as a friend. She actually falls in love with Jack, but they keep their relationship quiet so as not to disturb the dynamics of the group.Kelsey and her new friend, coffee shop manager Rae, along with the covert assistance of the Chief of Police and Dr. Peter Ambrose, try to discover what happened to Becca despite the fact that someone - likely Becca's powerful father - is trying to cover things up. I really enjoyed this story which I partially read and partially listened to. The narrator did a good job building the suspense.
    • 3/5
      Kelsey Castle is an investigative reporter who was the victim of a crime. Her editor assigns her to investigate a mysterious death in Summit Lake. Kelsey reluctantly travels there to find out details of the murder, and details of the young woman's life. Becca Eckersley, a first-year law student at GW was found brutally murdered, but the police investigation looks like it was hindered from going anywhere. As Kelsey digs into the murder, and Becca's life, she finds a friendship between 4 college friends - Becca, Gail, Jack, and Brad, plus secrets that Becca was hiding. The book had a few surprises for me, but I was still unclear as to who covered up the murder details. I believe I know who and why, but I don't believe it was ever explained.
    • 2/5
      SPOILERS:

      The 'twist' at the end wasn't very surprising. GRRM has shown me that unless it's explicitly shown/stated that someone's dead (and even sometimes despite that) - they're not necessarily dead!
    • 1/5
      Luckily, this was a quick read so I didn't have to spend much time with it. As far as crime/mystery thrillers go, it was preposterous. Kelsey Castle is a true-crime writer with a fancy magazine who hears about law student Becca Eckersley's murder in Summit Lake in the Blue Ridge Mountains. Her boss, Penn Courtney (really?) sends her there for some R&R after a traumatic personal event, and to cover the story, which it appears is really a big cover up. After only 13 days, (because they are enumerated at the start of each chapter) Kelsey is able to solve this crime, that the local and state police couldn't even crack. There are ridiculous misses all over the place -- not the least of which is another dead and decomposing body that show not just the investigators' incompetence, but also the writer's. Oh, and Kelsey is recovering from rape, which this case just happens to include and yet she's over it. Meanwhile, Becca was 5 months pregnant, but not showing at all -- "even from the side" so know one knew about it at the time of her death. The police are spending more time looking for Kelsey than for the killer, but with the help of her new trusty coffee house pal, Rae and her new handsome love interest, Dr. Peter Ambrose (who steals medical records for this woman he just met), Kelsey cracks the case wide open. In attempting to explain Kelsey's super swift healing process the author states: "...intrigued by the story she was chasing and captivated by the girl who was killed, Kelsey found an oasis from her own trouble." but she is still plagued by her memories (from just a month ago) "It was as if her mind wore an electric collar and could only go so far without hurting itself." Ugh! Where's the editor? Skip this.
    • 5/5
      This is a sensitive, impressive reading. It is the story of two women who have had similar experiences. While the young student is dead, the journalist survived the rape and explores the reasons why the student had to die.The chapters alternate. One is told from the perspective of Becca, the student. This story starts in the last college year. The reader gets to know Becca and her friends. The other chapters are from the perspective of journalist Kelsey Castle, who is slowly trying to solve the murder. However, this is rather difficult because the family of the dead has obtained a closure of the files.This book is very excitingly written. Whenever I felt I knew the killer, that assumption vanished.
    • 5/5
      I don't even know where to start - it was AWESOME!!! One of my favorite books that I read this year. So glad I decided to read it, I couldn't put it down. The book opens with Becca's death, which was horrible and brutal. You get all the details except who killed her. Then the book alternates between the time leading up to Becca's death and Kelsey investigating Becca's murder for an article she is writing. Not until the very end do you find out the identity of the killer and I was SHOCKED!!! I had no idea. Honestly, I had two people in mind for the killer and I was not even close. The book had me hooked from the first page and until the very end. I was right their with Kelsey wanting to discover why Becca's murder was being covered up.Thanks to NetGalley, Kensington Books and the author, Charlie Donlea, for a free electronic ARC of this novel. It was a wonderful read and can't wait for the author's next book!!.
    • 3/5
      A journalist recovering from her own personal trauma is assigned to look into the murder of a young law student in a mountain resort town. Despite being a complete stranger in an insular small town, being unable to interview any family or friends of the victim, and evidence of a clear cover-up and whitewashing of the event by the state and federal law enforcement, this journalist is somehow able to obtain a copy of the entire police file, access to the complete autopsy report, and the victim's private diary. Said journalist solves the case and in doing so brings closure to herself.It's not that this is a bad book, it's just aggressively average. There are a couple of places where the author goes for a "shocking twist!" but they are telegraphed so far in advance that even I, who never figures out whodunit, figured out whodunit. On the other hand, it's a quick read and there's nothing overtly offensive or cloying about the writing. Approached with the appropriate level of expectation, a reader will probably enjoy it.
    • 5/5
      Excellent debut from Charlie Donlea! I can't believe this book slipped past my "new releases" radar until now. I flew through this story, was totally absorbed in it, loved it. Kelsey Castle is a crime reporter who's sent on assignment to a North Carolina mountain town called Summit Lake. This usually idyllic place has had its first murder. The victim, Becca Eckersley, is a promising law student and daughter of a powerful attorney. Kelsey believes the police are going in the wrong direction, possibly trying to cover up what really happened, and she's determined to find the truth.The story alternates between Becca's POV in the months leading up to her murder, and Kelsey's POV a couple of weeks after the crime. The plot was suspenseful and well-constructed. I enjoyed trying to piece together the puzzle, and the twist at the end was awesome. My only complaint was that I thought Kelsey came by the official evidence (police/medical reports) too easily.I'd highly recommend SUMMIT LAKE to fans of mystery and crime novels. Dark and haunting.
    • 4/5
      I felt bad that I had to read this book even faster than I normally would since I had return it back to the library along with quite a few others. Still, I enjoyed this book and was glad I had a chance to read it. Becca is brutally attacked in the beginning of the story. The story then starts about a year back and gradually brings us along with her as she begins her journey with her destiny. Kelsey is a reporter who has been out on leave after an attack while running. Her boss sends her to Summit Lake to write the story about Becca. He thinks it will be an easy piece to write in a beautiful lake area so that she can continue her recovery. Well, we know that's not going to happen, don't we? The case is being handled by the state investigators and the evidence that is usually public has been hidden and no one is talking. Very good debut novel.
    • 4/5
      Summit Lake is an extremely well written debut. A clever mix of past and present with several points of view. It was hard to put this down because the mystery surrounding Becca's murder drew you in and reading about the months leading up to her death was fascinating. The way the author created a connection between the victim and the reporter investigating the victim's death was also cleverly done. I was surprised when the killer was revealed and have to admit my first reaction was that I felt a bit cheated, but it all made sense and was completely believable so I could then quite happily go with it.The only thing I found difficult to believe was the ease with which the reporter managed to get her information and persuade professionals to aid her in her investigation.Still, I thoroughly enjoyed reading this and would definitely read more books by Charlie Donlea. Highly recommended for fans of suspenseful mysteries or crime fiction in general.I received an ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
    • 3/5
      Thought is apropos that I start the new year by finishing a book by a début author. Good start to what should be a promising series. Kelsey Castle, an investigative reporter attempting to overcome a horrible event in her own life, is sent to Summit lake to gather facts on the murder of a first year law student. On the whole this was an interesting read, a good case, and some interesting characters. But there were a few things that just didn't gel for demand some situations like the relationship between Kelsey and Matt just seemed awkward at times. Still a good first effort, the last part of the book very suspenseful so will definitely be looking out for this author's next offering.ARC from Netgalley.